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LUNAR OCCULTATION ALERT: Tonight, Jan. 30-31, the Moon will pass directly in front of Mars, producing a lunar occultation visible across southern parts of the USA and all of Central America. Mars will vanish for as much as two hours with great photo-ops when it is near the edge of the Moon. The action begins at approximately 8:30 pm Pacific Time. Resources: visibility map; major cities; cool video!
A LARGE COMET IS STREAKING TOWARD THE SUN (UPDATED): Comet 96P/Machholz is streaking toward the sun for a close encounter inside the orbit of Mercury. Coronagraphs onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) are monitoring its approach:
This is no ordinary comet flyby. Most comets that fall toward the sun are small (~10 meters) and rapidly evaporate; SOHO has seen thousands of these doomed sungrazers. Comet 96P is different. Measuring 6 kilometers across, it is big enough to survive close proximity to the sun. Perihelion (closest approach to the sun) on Jan. 31st is only 0.12 AU away.
Some researchers think 96P might be an Alien. Chemically, it is unlike other comets in the Solar System, lacking normal amounts of carbon and cyanogen. It also has a strangely-tilted orbit that takes it very close to the sun. Two orbits ago, unexpected fragments appeared ahead of the comet; researchers aren't sure how they were produced.
"96P is a very atypical comet, both in composition and in behavior, so we never know exactly what we might see," says Karl Battams of the Naval Research Lab in Washington DC. "Accordingly, we’re running a special observing program with SOHO to maximize the science return, so the normal flow of public coronagraph data will be slowed for a few days (to six images/hour). Hopefully we can get some beautiful science out of this and share with everyone as soon as we can."
"By the way," adds Battams, "this comet is named for Don Machholz, who was an extraordinary ground-based 'amateur' astronomer, and also an extremely great guy. He passed away unexpectedly last year, so there's some poignancy to this passage of his 'premier' comet discovery--he made many."
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POLAR STRATOSPHERIC CLOUDS OVER SCOTLAND: Polar Stratospheric Clouds (PSCs) are supposed to stay inside the Arctic Circle. Last night they broke out and made a rare appearance over Scotland. Alan C. Tough photographed the display from Elgin, Moray:
"Thanks to a heads-up from SpaceWeather.com and Jonathan Shanklin (Emeritus Fellow of the British Antarctic Survey) I've been keeping an eye open for these clouds," says Tough. "This beauty between between rain showers on the evening of Jan 29th. Note Venus to the lower right of the cloud."
Polar stratospheric clouds are rare. Earth's stratosphere is very dry and normally it has no clouds at all. PSCs form when the temperature in the stratosphere drops to a staggeringly-low -85 C. Then, and only then, can widely-spaced water molecules begin to coalesce into tiny ice crystals. High-altitude sunlight shining through the crystals creates intense iridescent colors visible in twilight or even dark-night sky.
Usually such low stratospheric temperatures happen only inside the Arctic Circle, but this week extreme cold is drifting over the UK as well. Sky watchers in the area are encouraged to submit pictures here.
more images: from Graeme Whipps of Bennachie, Aberdeenshire, Scotland; from Alan C. Tough of Elgin, Moray, Scotland; from Steven McCarron of Peterhead, Scotland; from Paul Warrener of Forres, Scotland; from Eric Schandall of Oslo, Norway; from Paul Cura of Cornhill, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
HOWLING WOLF HEART PENDANT: It's the perfect Valentine's gift for a Nature lover. On Jan. 6, 2023, this Howling Wolf Heart Pendant flew to the stratosphere onboard an Earth to Sky cosmic ray research balloon, floating more than 105,546 ft above the snow-capped Sierras of central California:
You can have it for $99.95. The hypoallergenic heart-shaped pendant features a loving pair of howling Arctic wolves, a shooting star, the full Moon, and sheets of aurora borealis. It comes with a greeting card showing the pendent in flight and telling the story of its trip to the edge of space and back again.
Far Out Gifts: Earth to Sky Store
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Every night, a network of
NASA all-sky cameras scans the skies above the United States for meteoritic fireballs. Automated software maintained by NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office calculates their orbits, velocity, penetration depth in Earth's atmosphere and many other characteristics. Daily results are presented here on Spaceweather.com.
On Jan 30 2023, the network reported 4 fireballs.
(4 sporadics)
In this diagram of the inner solar system, all of the fireball orbits intersect at a single point--Earth. The orbits are color-coded by velocity, from slow (red) to fast (blue). [Larger image] [movies]
Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (
PHAs) are space rocks larger than approximately 100m that can come closer to Earth than 0.05 AU. None of the known PHAs is on a collision course with our planet, although astronomers are finding
new ones all the time.
On January 30, 2023 there were 2326 potentially hazardous asteroids.
 |
Recent & Upcoming Earth-asteroid encounters: | Asteroid | Date(UT) | Miss Distance | Velocity (km/s) | Diameter (m) |
| 2023 BE2 | 2023-Jan-25 | 1.9 LD | 9.7 | 8 |
| 2023 AQ1 | 2023-Jan-25 | 10.2 LD | 15.7 | 55 |
| 2023 AP1 | 2023-Jan-25 | 10.2 LD | 9.4 | 27 |
| 2023 BX5 | 2023-Jan-25 | 0.9 LD | 10.2 | 8 |
| 2023 BY | 2023-Jan-25 | 8.5 LD | 11.6 | 18 |
| 2023 BW5 | 2023-Jan-25 | 6.8 LD | 10.4 | 25 |
| 2023 BL1 | 2023-Jan-25 | 0.6 LD | 14.7 | 20 |
| 2023 AM1 | 2023-Jan-25 | 11.5 LD | 5.8 | 18 |
| 2023 BL2 | 2023-Jan-26 | 1 LD | 10.5 | 6 |
| 2020 BZ14 | 2023-Jan-26 | 8.8 LD | 6.7 | 54 |
| 2023 BH5 | 2023-Jan-26 | 7.2 LD | 7.5 | 14 |
| 2023 BH7 | 2023-Jan-26 | 6.3 LD | 7.6 | 22 |
| 2023 BU | 2023-Jan-27 | 0 LD | 9.3 | 5 |
| 2023 BZ3 | 2023-Jan-27 | 0.7 LD | 6.8 | 5 |
| 2023 BT3 | 2023-Jan-27 | 1.5 LD | 9.6 | 4 |
| 2023 BN5 | 2023-Jan-27 | 3.4 LD | 6.5 | 12 |
| 2023 BG6 | 2023-Jan-27 | 11.5 LD | 4.2 | 11 |
| 2023 BC | 2023-Jan-28 | 7.4 LD | 12.8 | 37 |
| 2023 BG7 | 2023-Jan-28 | 1.1 LD | 18.1 | 10 |
| 2023 BE7 | 2023-Jan-28 | 2.1 LD | 14.7 | 17 |
| 2023 BL4 | 2023-Jan-29 | 11.1 LD | 7.8 | 21 |
| 2023 BM5 | 2023-Jan-29 | 2 LD | 15.5 | 13 |
| 2022 SO113 | 2023-Jan-29 | 10.5 LD | 3.5 | 73 |
| 2023 BK4 | 2023-Jan-29 | 7.3 LD | 8.2 | 19 |
| 2023 BV5 | 2023-Jan-30 | 6.6 LD | 3.2 | 10 |
| 2023 BJ7 | 2023-Jan-30 | 1 LD | 8 | 6 |
| 2023 BA3 | 2023-Jan-30 | 3.4 LD | 8.8 | 19 |
| 2023 AS1 | 2023-Jan-31 | 11.8 LD | 6.2 | 25 |
| 2023 BA4 | 2023-Jan-31 | 17.7 LD | 7.9 | 44 |
| 2023 BQ2 | 2023-Jan-31 | 5.7 LD | 13.9 | 17 |
| 2023 BP6 | 2023-Feb-01 | 6.8 LD | 9.7 | 66 |
| 2017 DU34 | 2023-Feb-02 | 13.3 LD | 11.2 | 16 |
| 2023 BY4 | 2023-Feb-02 | 12.9 LD | 10.8 | 41 |
| 2023 BP5 | 2023-Feb-02 | 4.4 LD | 6.2 | 13 |
| 2023 BH6 | 2023-Feb-02 | 5.8 LD | 9.7 | 8 |
| 2023 BR5 | 2023-Feb-03 | 10.9 LD | 7.9 | 11 |
| 367789 | 2023-Feb-03 | 4.7 LD | 9.9 | 149 |
| 2023 BN6 | 2023-Feb-04 | 2 LD | 7.5 | 32 |
| 2020 OO1 | 2023-Feb-04 | 4.8 LD | 7.7 | 19 |
| 2023 BC4 | 2023-Feb-04 | 16.2 LD | 11.6 | 52 |
| 2023 BG4 | 2023-Feb-05 | 17.2 LD | 10.4 | 33 |
| 2023 BT1 | 2023-Feb-06 | 16.8 LD | 8.8 | 29 |
| 2022 YO6 | 2023-Feb-06 | 12.1 LD | 13.4 | 167 |
| 2023 BS | 2023-Feb-08 | 19.4 LD | 10.9 | 35 |
| 2022 CX1 | 2023-Feb-09 | 17.4 LD | 13.2 | 14 |
| 2021 EP4 | 2023-Feb-13 | 19 LD | 6.1 | 5 |
| 199145 | 2023-Feb-16 | 12 LD | 24.6 | 756 |
| 2022 RG | 2023-Feb-16 | 8.2 LD | 3 | 24 |
| 2020 DG4 | 2023-Feb-17 | 1.4 LD | 6.9 | 8 |
| 2020 CX1 | 2023-Feb-19 | 17.4 LD | 7.7 | 53 |
| 37638 | 2023-Feb-21 | 17 LD | 11.1 | 495 |
| 2023 AA2 | 2023-Feb-22 | 17.4 LD | 10.1 | 132 |
| 2012 DK31 | 2023-Feb-27 | 12.6 LD | 15.5 | 148 |
| 2006 BE55 | 2023-Feb-28 | 9.4 LD | 13.3 | 148 |
| 2021 QW | 2023-Mar-03 | 13.9 LD | 12.1 | 79 |
| 2017 BM123 | 2023-Mar-03 | 12.1 LD | 7.8 | 62 |
| 2007 ED125 | 2023-Mar-03 | 11.7 LD | 13.1 | 224 |
| 2015 EG | 2023-Mar-04 | 13.9 LD | 10.6 | 27 |
| 2023 BK5 | 2023-Mar-05 | 17.9 LD | 8.5 | 59 |
| 535844 | 2023-Mar-07 | 10.5 LD | 7.7 | 150 |
| 2020 FQ | 2023-Mar-09 | 14 LD | 6.3 | 13 |
| 2020 FV4 | 2023-Mar-13 | 17.6 LD | 8.2 | 30 |
| 2018 UQ1 | 2023-Mar-17 | 10.7 LD | 11.7 | 143 |
| 2016 WH | 2023-Mar-19 | 18.1 LD | 11.8 | 14 |
| 2018 FE3 | 2023-Mar-21 | 10.1 LD | 5.4 | 13 |
| 2022 YK4 | 2023-Mar-29 | 11.9 LD | 2.3 | 25 |
| 2017 SE12 | 2023-Mar-30 | 5.2 LD | 8.4 | 15 |
| 2016 GH1 | 2023-Mar-30 | 7.7 LD | 5.8 | 11 |
Notes: LD means "Lunar Distance." 1 LD = 384,401 km, the distance between Earth and the Moon. 1 LD also equals 0.00256 AU. | | Cosmic Rays in the Atmosphere |
SPACE WEATHER BALLOON DATA: Almost once a week, Spaceweather.com and the students of Earth to Sky Calculus fly space weather balloons to the stratosphere over California. These balloons are equipped with sensors that detect secondary cosmic rays, a form of radiation from space that can penetrate all the way down to Earth's surface. Our monitoring program has been underway without interruption for 7 years, resulting in a unique dataset of in situ atmospheric measurements.
Latest results (July 2022): Atmospheric radiation is decreasing in 2022. Our latest measurements in July 2022 registered a 6-year low:
What's going on? Ironically, the radiation drop is caused by increasing solar activity. Solar Cycle 25 has roared to life faster than forecasters expected. The sun's strengthening and increasingly tangled magnetic field repels cosmic rays from deep space. In addition, solar coronal mass ejections (CMEs) sweep aside cosmic rays, causing sharp reductions called "Forbush Decreases." The two effects blend together to bring daily radiation levels down.
.Who cares? Cosmic rays are a surprisingly "down to Earth" form of space weather. They can alter the chemistry of the atmosphere, trigger lightning, and penetrate commercial airplanes. According to a study from the Harvard T.H. Chan school of public health, crews of aircraft have higher rates of cancer than the general population. The researchers listed cosmic rays, irregular sleep habits, and chemical contaminants as leading risk factors. A number of controversial studies (#1, #2, #3, #4) go even further, linking cosmic rays with cardiac arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death.
Technical notes: The radiation sensors onboard our helium balloons detect X-rays and gamma-rays in the energy range 10 keV to 20 MeV. These energies span the range of medical X-ray machines and airport security scanners.
Data points in the graph labeled "Stratospheric Radiation" correspond to the peak of the Regener-Pfotzer maximum, which lies about 67,000 feet above central California. When cosmic rays crash into Earth's atmosphere, they produce a spray of secondary particles that is most intense at the entrance to the stratosphere. Physicists Eric Regener and Georg Pfotzer discovered the maximum using balloons in the 1930s and it is what we are measuring today.
| | The official U.S. government space weather bureau |
| | The first place to look for information about sundogs, pillars, rainbows and related phenomena. |
| | Researchers call it a "Hubble for the sun." SDO is the most advanced solar observatory ever. |
| | 3D views of the sun from NASA's Solar and Terrestrial Relations Observatory |
| | Realtime and archival images of the Sun from SOHO. |
| | information about sunspots based on the latest NOAA/USAF Active Region Summary |
| | current counts of failed and deployed Starlink satellites from Jonathan's Space Page |
| | Authoritative predictions of space junk and satellite re-entries |
| | from the NOAA Space Environment Center |
| | fun to read, but should be taken with a grain of salt! Forecasts looking ahead more than a few days are often wrong. |
| | from the NOAA Space Environment Center |
| | the underlying science of space weather |
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